F1 News: Caitlyn Jenner Blames Sponsors For Lack Of Female F1 Drivers

Caitlyn Jenner, former Olympic gold medal winner and founder of the new racing team Jenner Racing, has spoken out on the lack of women in F1 and the reasons behind it. Talking to Sky Sports, she enforced that it’s not the fact that women drivers aren’t fast enough, but it’s the fact that sponsors are difficult to come by.

Talking about the W-Series, a development series for extremely talented women drivers, the transgender activist reveals her love for the sport:

“I think for women, this is a great opportunity in all of sports, but because I had a love for racing and motor racing, it’s the exact same thing. It’s so hard for women to move up the ladder. They can drive.

“It’s not the driving, it’s attracting the right sponsors. It’s about all the things outside of racing that you have to get right.

“These girls deserve this. The W-Series is a development series. I want to see a woman in Formula 1.”

Jamie Chadwick, the British driver who has taken the W-Series by storm winning both the ’19 season and the ’22 season (2020 was cancelled due to the pandemic), will race under Jenner Racing. Her main competition will come from the British driver Alice Powell and Finland’s Emma Kimilainen this year.

“I can imagine Alice and Emma will definitely be up there,” Chadwick told Sky Sports. “But I would expect there to be a few new faces in the mix as well.

“Teams are getting more competitive and the drivers are getting more competitive so I think it’s going to be a closely fought season throughout and there will be more contenders this year.

“You don’t know what’s going to happen, I could DNF the first race and be in no contention…. but the ultimate goal is exactly the same. If I focus on myself, that can happen again.”

Chadwick was able to travel to the states to meet Jenner who is serious about promoting women in motorsport:

“I’ve been out to the States to visit her which is great, to get on a similar wavelength with her and understand what she wants for the team,” explains Chadwick. “It’s a whole new opportunity, very different to anything I’ve ever experienced before.

“Every team owner wants to win this year, she’s a former sportsperson so she understands the competition which is important, and going forwards she just wants to grow women’s sport. Using W Series as a platform to do that is great – she’s proactive in pushing that.”